Boiler-tube cleaner



Sept. 22, 1925. 1,554,512

A. LOwY Bomen TUBE 'GLENER rma hmm, 1921 WITNESS 4 y lNVElVT-l? m By N7 i ,4 TTOHNE Y Patented Sept; 22, 1925.

ARTHUR LOW Y, OF

NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO NEW YORK ENGINEELNG COMPANY, Ay CORPORATION 0F NEW YORK. i

BUTLER-TUBE CLEAN ER;

Application tiled March 5,v 1921. Serial No. 449,803.

To all whom t may concern.' y

Be it known that I, ARTHUR LowY, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Newark, in the county of Essex and State ot' New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Boiler-Tube Cleaners, of which the ollowing is a specitication. y

This invention relates to reciprocatory tools such as boiler tube cleaners, and more particularly to that type oit cleaner in which the boiler scale is directly cut or chipped awa-y by the action ot a sharp edged tool, rather than by repeated hammer blows. In this invention the cutting tool is given a rapid reciprocating mm'ement, and is si1nultaneously given a rotary movement which greatly increases its cutting action. The actuating mechanism is driven by tiuid pressure, such as steam or compressed air, and in order to secure simplicity and compactness is characterized by having a stationary piston and movable cylinder carrying the tool with the ports automatically controlled by the cylinders. The exhaust is utilized to rotate the cylinder by reaction without requii ing additional parts. Y

In carrying out this invention I have devised an. apparatus which is compact in structure, simple oi:v design, easy to operate and economical to manufacture, the same being described in the following specification, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, of which Figure l is a view in longitudinal section,

Figure 2 is a transverse section on the line II-II of Figure 1,`and

Figure 3 is a transverse section on the line III-III of Figure l.

l denotes a cylinder comprising cylinder head 2 and cylinder wall 3, the 'former being` threaded into the latter and held by a pin lextending dia-metrically through the threaded portion to prevent relative rotation. Cylinder l reciprocates over piston 5 which is rigidly secured to, or preferably integral with, piston rod (5, and being heavy has the advantage `of mass directly carrying` the tool. The end of cylinder wall 3 opposite the cylinder head Q. has a contracted opening 7 adapted to lit over piston rod and to provide a long bearing theretor which intended to serve. also as a valve as will be hereinafter explained. Packing S is provided to prevent esca-pe ofliuid pressure.`

Fistonrod is provided at its free end-with annular' notches 9 to engage the end of' a fleX- ible tubing (not shown) which conveys the mc tive Fluid tothe cylinder. Piston rod 6 is provided with a passageway l() and in piston rod 6 adjacent piston 5 is a port l1 which communicateswith passageway l0 and providesaccess for the motive fluid into the cylinder. Communicating with the space between piston 5 and cylinder head 2 is a passageway l2 and spaced from piston 5 in piston rod t3 is a port 13, which together with passageway l2 provides communication betweenr the spaces rwithin the cylinder' upon either side ot the piston 5. Port 1S being spaced 'from piston 5 vwill be alternately closed and opened as the end y7 ot cylinder wall reciprocates thereon. In cylinder wall 3 and communicating `with the cylinder space between cylinder head 2 and piston 5 when cylinder l is in advanced position, are exhaust ports lll, which are opened and closed by piston 5 cylinder l reciprocates thereon, permitting the spent motive luidto exhaust into the'atmosphere when cylinder l is at or near the end of its stroke. Exhaust ports lll are preferably multiple, comprising a plurality ot passageways distributed about the periphery of the cylinder, but whether single or multiple, are disposed non-radially .so that the reactionof the escaping fluid cylinder head 2 being similarly hollowed as at lt. By utilizing the space thus available the cylinder may be made veryshort. c

The inner face of cylinder head 2 is iinishedoli as at` 17 to provide an abutment `for piston 5 and thus to limit the inward travel ot the cylinder while the inner space `24 ot contracted opening or bearing is similarly finished and "serves as a kstop for the. outward travel ot the cylinderjas the piston 5` contacts therewith.` In practice,

is admitted these surfaces do not necessarily abut, as sufcient motive fluid is trapped at each end to act as a cushion. 'Y

Scale chipping tool 18 is circular in form and is about l@ inch less in dia-meter than the tube in which it is to be used, and is provided with a series of annular. cutting edges 19 extending in the direction in which the tool is to be advanced, and which are adaptedfor chipping and cutting the scale and for scraping the inside of the boiler tube. Scale cutting tool 18 is provided with lug 2O which is carried loosely in a recess 2l of lug` 22 upon the `end of cylinder head 2. A pin 23, detachably secured in lug 22 and loosely fitting through lug 20, holds scale cutting tool 18, the loose fit permitting a slight universal inovementof scale cutting tool 18. By making the cutting tool 18 detachable, the saine cylinder and piston mechanism may be employed in various size boiler tubes, the size of cutter being selected in accordance with the diameter of the tube.V Also, various kinds of tools may be used. Y

In operation the motive fluid, which may be steam or compressed air, enters passageway 10 and'tlience through port 11 llows into the cylinder space surrounding the piston rod. Port 13 is so spaced with relation to contracted end 7 'as to be open when cylinder 1 is in retracted position. under pressure surrounding piston rod 6 now enters port 13 and exerts its pressure upon cylinder head 2 forcing the cylinder head outward to its advance position. The area of cylinder head 2 being greater than the area of inner surface 24:, equal pressures on both sides of the piston will cause outward movement of cylinder 1. After cylinder 1 has advanced over a portion of its stroke, port 13 is covered by contracted end 7 which serves as aV valve, and the supply of motive fluid to the cylinder head is cut off but the fluid within passageway 12 and the hollow space between cylinder head 2 aiid piston 5 will expandv and continue to force cylinder head2 outwardly. As cylinder head 2 approaches the outward limit of its travel port 141 will now be uncovered permitting the fluid within passageway 12 and the hollow space between piston and cylinder head to exhaust into the atmosphere, port 14 being disposed non-radially causing the cylinder to rotate by the react-ioii of the exhaust. :lVhen all the fluid is thus exhausted the cylinder' 1 will be retracted by the pressure of the fluid within the cylinder 'surrounding the piston rod 5 actingupon the inner surface 2430i contracted end 7 until port 13 is again uncovered permitting the access of Huid to passageway 12 whereupon the aforesaid cycle will be repeated. It will be seen that supply pressure is always on surface 24, but is overcome on the i The fluid forward stroke by the supply pressure on the greater area of head 2, while-the return stroke is by supply pressure on surface 24 after thepressure has exhausted low enough, the supply pressure used on the return stroke assisting in charging the cylinder for the forward stroke. Hence the interior volume must be sufficient to drive the cylinder the full stroke after the cutoli" at port 13. l

Cutting tool 18 is thus reciprocated and rotated, and its various `cutting edges Vwill engage the scale according to the thickness of the saine, the inner edges lirst attacking the thicker portion of the scale, and the outer edge removing the last traces of scale by scraping the inside of the tube. Allliile scale cutting tool 18 is of less diameter than tlieboiler tube, it will be drawn, by Virtue of its universal connection with the cylinder, in whatever direction the scale is most resistant, and as the scale is reduced, will contact and scrape the interior of the tube itself. of the tube, vibration will be sufficient to cause it to engage the scale on all sides, even where the latter is very thin.

The tubing which supplies motive fluid to the device and upon which piston rod 6 is carried, should be sufficiently flexible The tool being nearly the diameter to permit in conjunction with the overall "5 shortness of the device, insertion in curved tubes, yet stiff enough to advance the cutting edges up to vthe working point. In

case the cylinder stops 'with both ports closed, the mechanism can alwaysbe started by either pushing or pulling upon the tubing.

I`he device provides a minimum of parts, with only one moving part and one packing, is very short, can thus work in curved as well as straight tubes,fand can be applied to fluid operated tools generally without material change.

W hat lf claim is:

1. A fluid pressure percussion tool conii prising a stationary ported member, having connection to source of fluid pressure supply, a reciprocating member adapted to rotate and having an exhaust `port for the escape of the motive fluid disposed non- Vradially to causerotation, and tool attaching means carried by said reciprocating member. u

2. A fluid pressure,percussion tool coniprising a stationary piston, a cylinder reciprocating thereon, tool attaching means carried by saidcylinder, means for maintainingr a continuous supply of fluid under pressure upon one side ofsaid piston, means for invterniittently supplying liuid through said pistou tol advance the Ycylinder. iiieaus for exhausting the llnidjsupplied through said piston near the end of the advance stroke,

exhaust actuated means for rotating the cylinder, and means for returning the cylinder to its initial position.

3. A fluid pressure percussion tool comprising a stationary piston, a cylinder adapted to reciprocate thereon having at one end a closed cylinder head and at the opposite end .a contracted opening, a piston rod having a passage therein secured to said piston and adapted to fit within said contracted opening, means for connecting said passage to a source of fluid pressure, a port in said piston rod adjacent said piston, an admission passageway in said piston rod and piston completely within the cylinder, controlled bymovement thereof, and leading to the space between said cylinder head and said piston, a port in said piston rod spaced from said piston and communicating with said last passageway, said port being alternately closed and opened by said contracted end of the cylinder as the same reciprocates thereover, and an exhaust port in the cylinder wall communicatingr with the space between the cylinder head and the piston, said exhaust port being alternately closed and opened by said piston as the cylinder reciprocates thereon, and tool attaching means carried by said cylinder.

Il. A fluid pressure percussion tool comprising a piston, a cylinder adapted to reciprocate thereon having at one end a closed cylinder head and at the opposite end a contracted opening, a piston rod secured to said piston and adapted to iit within said contracted opening, said piston rod having a passage therein, means for connecting said passage to a source of' fluid pressure, a port in said piston rod adjacent said piston communicating with said passage, a passageway in said piston rod and piston leading to the space between said cylinder head and said piston, a port in said piston rod spaced from said piston and communicating with said last passageway, said port being alternately the cylinder as the fiuid escapes, and tool at` taching means carried by said cylinder.

5. In combination, a stationary piston and piston rod, a movable cylinder slidable thereon, said piston rod being provided with a plurality of passageways therein for a motive fluid, a rotary percussion tool secured adjacent an end wall of' the cylinder and adapted during its rotation to have a slight universal movement, the tool carrying end of said cylinder and the adjacent side of said piston being recessed to form an eX- pansion chamber for said motive fluid, said cylinder being of smaller diameter than the tool and provided with means for being rotated by the motive fluid.

6. The combination with a stationary piston rod provided on one end with means for attaching a fluid supply hose, of a plurality of fluid supply passagewaysy in said piston rod, a piston on the other end of said rod from the supply hose, a reciprocal cylinder mounted on the piston rod and piston, packing between said cylinder and piston rod on the end portion of said cylinder adjacent the supply hose, a rotary percussion tool of larger diameter than the cylinder secured close to the other end thereof from said packing, means to intermittently supply a motive fluid to the cylinder and means intermittently effective to rotate the cylinder.

Signed at New York city in the county of New York and State of New York this 3rd day or March A. D. 1921.

ARTHUR ILOWY. 

